Civil Air Patrol’s New Mexico Wing gets top rating from Air Force

  • Published
  • By Maj. David Finley
  • Civil Air Patrol New Mexico Wing Public Affairs
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  The New Mexico Wing of the Civil Air Patrol earned a rating of "Outstanding" -- the highest possible rating -- from a U.S. Air Force team during a formal evaluation exercise Sept. 13-14. CAP members from across the state responded to emergency scenarios presented in real time to test their effectiveness.

During the exercise, CAP aircrews flew a variety of missions and a CAP ground search-and-rescue team went into the field. The exercise was coordinated from a command post at Kirtland, and members operated out of that command post and from CAP squadrons throughout New Mexico.

The Air Force evaluators presented their initial report to the participants Sept. 15. Of 16 separate areas evaluated, the NM Wing received 11 "Outstanding" ratings, with the remainder either "Successful" or "Highly Successful." The Wing's overall rating was "Outstanding," making it the only Wing in CAP's Southwest Region to receive the top rating.

"I couldn't be more proud of the dedicated members who gave their time and efforts to this operation," said CAP's New Mexico Wing Commander, Colonel Mark Smith. "This team received the highest possible endorsement from the Air Force, and that's a rare accomplishment," Smith added.

"This rating was earned by a fantastic team, both those who worked at the command post and those who responded from their home bases around the state," said CAP Lt. Col. Jon Hitchcock, Incident Commander for the exercise. These people worked for four months preparing for this evaluation, and their efforts paid off well," Hitchcock said.

Participants included CAP pilots and aircrew members, the ground search team, and command and support personnel. Both adult CAP members and cadets, youth from 12-18, were part of the New Mexico team. The Air Force evaluators singled out several cadets and adult members for special commendation.

The missions performed by CAP members during the exercise included a ground and air search for a simulated missing hiker in the Sandia Mountains, an urgent flight to transport blood supplies from Albuquerque to Gallup, and numerous flights to make aerial photos of flooding, endangered bridges and dams, and sites of a simulated oil-field fire and train derailment.

As the exercise progressed, the Air Force evaluators threw sudden changes and complications into the mix, such as a power and internet outage at the command post and simulated mechanical trouble with one of the mission aircraft.

Ironically, the simulated emergency scenario prepared well in advance by the Air Force team closely paralleled the real-world flooding experienced around the state. Because of this, later in the day, the CAP crews began flying photo-reconnaissance missions related to the actual flooding, in addition to the exercise missions.

"No matter what happened, our team responded calmly and professionally to accomplish the mission in spite of all difficulties," Hitchcock said.